 You know I like to be real, you know that whole thing about shaking hands, I really get jammed up about that because I'm such an introvert and I really struggle with smoozing and just shaking hands with people and hugging and stuff. So everybody just take your finger and point it at me. Just take it. Say Bill, get over yourself. Okay, so I needed that. I am just honored to have an opportunity to be back here with you. My wife Pam wasn't able to come this time and she sends you greetings and love. But there is just something very special about this place and special about the people that come here. Amen? And I had a great time with the men. The Bible says how good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity. And you know God doesn't have any problem getting the ladies together, but sometimes it's kind of hard to get the brothers to do that. I have to slow down because of the people signing over there and I get meow meow meow meow. So, calm down. But I thank God for the ladies, but it's really good when men get together and they seek the face of God together. They love the Lord and share with one another and God was doing some incredible things up on the hill. Amen? Okay, now how many of you have never heard me speak before? Raise your hands if you've never heard me speak. Okay, so just so we'll get some ground rules down. The person seated next to you, that's your neighbor. You say good morning, neighbor. Okay, say it like you really love that person next to you. Say good morning, neighbor. Okay, just for my sake, help me out. Okay, just be a little bit more vibrant. The early morning crew was kind of like, okay, I want you to be at least right here. Okay, so we're going to talk to our neighbor. The Bible says cease them with lying and tell your neighbor the truth because we're not separate units, but intimately united in Christ. Amen? I think that's God's way of saying be real. Okay, so let me ask you a couple of questions. How many of you found out life is a lot more difficult than you thought it would be? How many of you find yourself doing stupid stuff every once in a while? How many of you do stupid stuff? You know it's stupid and you do it anyway. Look at your neighbor say neighbor. What in the ham sandwich? It doesn't matter with you. And how many of us have ever done something that we hope, oh my God, I hope no one ever finds out I did that. How many of us have one of those in our lives? Say neighbor and I won't be telling you about it either. I think that's God's way and then we can confess our sins to each other and James 516 says confess your faults one to another and pray for each other that you could be healed. So look at your neighbor say neighbor. Don't act like you don't have sin in your life. Now say this to your neighbor, say neighbor. I can handle your laundry. Keep your underwear to yourself. Okay, so that's how we're going to roll today. For those of you who haven't heard me speak, I was a police officer in New York and, you know, I'm about being real. And one day I got real. As a police officer, I'd been a cop for 10 years. I was a detective. I was on the SWAT team, but I was strung out on drugs. I was an alcoholic. I was very violent. Had a real big afro, fume and chou mustache, sideburns, say neighbor. A lot has happened to that brother since then. Seriously, I started getting that George Jefferson ear muff look. I'm not going out like that. But I got real. December 26, 1980 at 2.45 in the afternoon. I was watching TV and a man asked two questions. He said, hey, are you a sinner? And I said, yep. He said, you know Jesus. I said, nope. He said, call this 800 number and I called this 800 number and a man explained to me the incredible love of Jesus Christ. I prayed with that man. I received Christ into my life. I was totally set free from drugs and alcohol filled with a joy and peace I had never had before. My wife, Claudia, comes home. Some of you have heard me tell this story. I meet her at the door. I said, Claudia, this is the new me. Jesus came into my life. I'm born again by the Spirit of God. My name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We'll see. Okay. I'm a new creation in Christ. And here's what she said. She went like this. Yeah, right. And she thought God was going to kill me because I was putting him in one of his schemes. Okay. So look at your neighbor. Say neighbor. Never say stupid stuff to a black woman. You know, she was white. It would have been more like, yeah, right. Okay. Because you all don't have that flow. Okay. So I'm just saying, say neighbor racial, but not racist. Okay. So, so, so God turned my life around and he turned her life around and turned my father's life around at 83 years old and both of my sons, God turned our entire household around. And I went back to work, a different police officer. And I went back to work and I didn't have to take the job personally anymore. And I understood why people did the things they did because they didn't know who Jesus was. And so whoever I would lock up, I would tell them about Jesus. Say neighbor, captive audience. Okay. When your hand comes to a wall, you can't go nowhere. Hey, you know why you rob banks? You need Jesus in your life. Okay. So just a thought. Okay. So I stayed on the job 10 more years and I transferred. I hated being a detective. I hated going to work in a suit and tie and I transferred into a street crime unit. Street crime. You go to work in jeans and sneakers where your baseball hat backwards right around. Look at the knuckleheads. I loved it. And by this time, God had called me to the ministry and I was ministering to kids all around the country doing a lot of traveling at the time. And I remember saying to the Lord, I'm never going to leave the police department. Say neighbor, never tell God what you're not going to do. Okay. So I went home one night and I had this dream. And in this dream I was on my way to speak to kids and it was 725 in the dream. I was walking down the middle of the street on a double yellow line and I come to a, there's nobody in the street, but I realized that crime is going to be committed and I want to catch the bad guys. So I'm looking around. Nobody comes. I come to a very modern looking school building and I realized that this is where the crime is going to be committed. So I stayed there for a minute or two. Nobody comes. It's getting closer to 730. I cross the street and I walk into an auditorium. And in this auditorium there are thousands and thousands of kids, white, black, brown, yellow, red, you name it, they were there. They were as close to me as you are, but you couldn't see them. And so I said to the Lord, what does this mean? And the Lord said, these are kids who are seated in darkness who have not been illuminated by the light of Jesus Christ. All of a sudden I want to go catch the bad guys and I run out the building and these guys come down the street in a convertible and they stop at the school and one guy gets out and he puts the ladder up to the second story window. They're burglars. Section 14020 of the penal law of the state of New York says a person is guilty of burglary in the third degree when they knowingly, intentionally enter a building or a premise with the intent to commit a crime they're in. So we've got a burglary in progress. Amen? Okay. A burglary is a thief. Jesus says the thief comes to kill, to steal, and to destroy. But he came that we would have life and life like we've never had it before. One of the guys sees me, knows my name, he goes, it's Bill. And the guy jumps off the ladder and they get in the car and they take him off the street. In the dream I'm jumping him down. I can't catch him. I look at my watch and it's 7.30. I turn to go speak to the kids and the Lord speaks to me in a teenager's voice. And he says these words, do you want to be a police officer or do you want to be a minister and tell kids about Jesus? I was already both. I said I want to be a minister and tell kids about Jesus. And I went inside and I began to speak to those kids and I woke up. I turned over in bed, I woke my wife up, Claudia, and I said I quit today. And I went to work that day and I turned in my resignation and I've never ever looked back. And since that time God has given me the opportunity to go all over the world to tell young people about Jesus. And now, and the one thing he showed me says, no matter how many people you lock up, Bill, that's not how you're really going to make a difference. The only way you will really make a difference in this world is to tell folks about Jesus. Look at your neighbor and say, neighbor, do you want to make a difference? Start telling people about Jesus. Okay, first of all, you're a little too quiet for me. Let's try that one more time. Look at your neighbor and say, neighbor, whatever you do, tell some folks about Jesus. Okay, now, amen. And we're going to talk about that today. How many of you want eternal life? Be real with me. Okay, so there's eternal life, there's eternal death. You'll either spend the rest of eternity with God or you'll spend the rest of eternity without God. Amen? And you know, I have some friends that I know some people who say, well, I might as well go to hell because all my friends are there. Look at your neighbor and say, neighbor, stupid. Okay, but God's desire is that we would have eternal life. Because Jesus said, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus didn't come to fix it so that we wouldn't go to hell. Jesus came to fix it so that we would go to heaven. Hell is just what's left over. Look at your neighbor and say, neighbor, and you don't want to go there. Okay, so God has done some things. So we have all raised our hands if we're being real about eternal life. How do we get it? Because you and I aren't the first ones that have wanted it. And so the Bible says in the Book of Mark in the 10th chapter, in the 17th verse, it says, And Jesus took to the road. Now, here's what the Bible says about Jesus. When it came to the things of God, nobody ever spoke like he spoke. When it came to changing the lives of men and women, people would step back and say, man, we've never seen anything like that before. And so people wanted to hear him. People would come by the droves. The Bible says he went into every town and village preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. And he was accompanied by some folks who gave out of their substance to support his ministry. Amen? Okay, so the Bible comes real for me, so I want to make it real for you. Let's take a little journey with Jesus today. You're there. You're in the crowd. And now Jesus takes to the road and we begin to follow him. And all of a sudden, this man busts out of the crowd, drops on his knees in front of Jesus. And you and I see this and we're like, hmm, by the fact, look at your neighbor say neighbor. Hmm. Okay, so I wonder what that's all about. And then we're close enough to hear the conversation. And he looks up at Jesus. He says, good teacher, good rabbi, good master. What can I do to have eternal life? He's trying to find out how to get what you and I say we want. Jesus looks at him and says, why do you call me good? For there is no one that's good except God. Now Jesus didn't say that he wasn't good. This guy just didn't know he was talking to God in the flesh. Because the Bible says great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifesting the flesh. Why do you call me good? There's no one that's good except God. Nevertheless, you know the commandments. Now question, how many of you, as you developed your relationship with the Lord, have ever wanted a report card from God? Does anybody here ever wanted one besides me? Raise your hand if you've ever wanted one. Now of course we wanted to have all A's. I never got one of those when I was in regular school. Okay, I got one. I got a feeling I never got one of those while I was in spiritual school either. Jesus says, nevertheless, you know the commandments. And he gives them these commandments. He says, thou shalt not commit murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not cheat, honor your mother and your father. How many of you have broken any of those rules? How many of you have ever felt in your life somewhere God has too many rules? Anybody ever feel that way? How many of you ever wanted God to change some of those rules? Say neighbor. He ain't changing that rule just for you. Okay, so let's take a look at the rules. Thou shalt not murder. How many of us have never murdered anyone? But God says, if you ever hated someone in your heart, to him that's murder. How many murderers have we got in the house? But how many of us don't want to get murdered? What's wrong with the rule? He says, don't commit adultery. How many of you have never committed adultery? Okay, Jesus said, if you ever look on a man or a woman with lust or desire to have that person in uniform talking about, that's adultery. If they're not your husband or your wife. Say neighbor. Say it like you mean it. I hope he doesn't ask us to raise our hands now. Okay. Okay, so, but how many of us, if we don't want our spouse to commit adultery on us? What's wrong with the rule? How many of you have ever lied? How many of us don't like being lied to or lied on? What's wrong with this rule? How many of you have ever stolen something? How many of us don't like people stealing our stuff? What's wrong with this rule? He says, don't cheat. How many of you have ever been cheated? How many of you have ever cheated somebody else? How many of you have ever cheated playing solitaire? Say neighbor. It's pretty bad when you cheat yourself. But we don't like being cheated. Then he says, honor your mother and your father or your father and your mother. How many of you have ever disrespected your parents? How many of you have ever said some bad stuff under your breath? Or maybe even to their face, you don't got to raise your hand on that one. And if we're a parent, we don't want to be disrespected. And no matter fact, let me tell you how Jesus feels about that. He says, if any man or woman curses their mother or their father, let them die the death. In other words, back in those days, that was so serious, they would take you down to the Villa Square and they would stone you to death. Say neighbor. Dang. So you're there and now Jesus gives this guy kind of like a report card. This guy says, I've kept all of those rules or all of those commandments since I was a little boy. And Jesus, who knew all men, looked at him and loved him. And he said, but you lack one thing. Go and sell everything that you have. Give the money to the poor. Pick up the cross. Come on, follow me and you'll have riches in heaven. And the Bible says in that saying, he turned and walked away. Wow. So in other words, he went like, I'm not like those folks at Calvary Chapel. And I'm definitely not like Bill Page. But he went from this to this because he was very wealthy. Jesus doesn't say anything to him, but he does say something to his disciples. You know, Jesus could have said, well, then go on then. So a fun and games until you end up in hell. He didn't say anything like that. He just turns to his disciples. He says, you see what kind of problems rich people will have about getting into heaven. Now he didn't say rich people couldn't go to heaven. But like the murder principle and the adultery principle, he said, you can't serve God and money. You can't have two gods in your life because you come to love one and hate the other. Amen. I tell you right now, if we took the disciples, dressed them up like you all and sprinkled them in here. They'd be raising their hands just like you and I were raising our hands earlier when I asked those questions. So Peter says to Jesus, after Jesus says this, I'm telling you now, it would be easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus takes a real small hole and a real large animal in Palestine at the time. That's how hard it's going to be. But it's not impossible. Peter goes, well, then who can have eternal life? In other words, I think the unspoken words here, like if this guy can't get into heaven, how am I going to get into heaven? Or maybe you hear that too. And you ask the same question. And Jesus says, with mankind or with man, it's impossible for anyone to have eternal life. But with God, all things are possible. Look at your neighbor say neighbor. If you go to heaven, it won't be because you're good. Say neighbor, it'll be because he's good. For the Bible says the Lord is good and his mercy endures to all generations. I think about that. You know what I love about Jesus? You can't put him in a box. And here's where I really feel God wants to talk to us about today. Because very rarely does Jesus do the exact same thing the same way. He never very rarely ever answers the question the same way. He's not the only one that wanted to know about this. So before I tell you, let me tell you about an incident that precedes this question. In the book of Luke in the 9th chapter, the 51st verse, it says, when it came time for him to go back to heaven, he made up his mind to go to Jerusalem. Another translation says he set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem. He was not going to let anything get in the way. And he was going to Jerusalem for you and me to die on the cross. Amen? Okay. And they had to go through the land of the Samaritans. And Samaritan people were people who came out of blended families, like our interracial marriages today. They were Jews and Syrians who had intermarried with one another. Gentiles and Jews and there was a lot of animosity. There was a lot of prejudice. How many of us realize there's a lot of prejudice in our nation today? Look at your neighbor say neighbor. In fact, say it with a thought. Say neighbor. God ain't feeling that. Okay. And he's definitely not feeling that amongst his children. So they went to the land of Samaritans and Jesus said, look at this place to stay. And James and John go. And when they get to the Samaritans, they find out Jesus is going back to heaven and they wouldn't give him a place to stay. And James and John got an attitude. How many of you ever had a bad attitude? Anybody in the house? Just 17 of us. Praise the Lord. How many of us have ever had a bad attitude? Say neighbor. How come you ain't raised your hand the first time? They came back to Jesus. Lord, they didn't receive us. Check this out. You want us to ring fire down on them and kill them all like Elijah did. These brothers did not learn a lot from the Prince of Peace. And the King James says, and Jesus rebuked them. He said, you don't know what spiritual for the Son of Man did not come to take men's lives. He came to give life. Ephesians, I'm sorry, Philippians 2.5 says it this way. Let Jesus Christ be your example as to what your attitude should be. So God says, have an attitude, but let it be like the attitude of Jesus. And then he says, let's go on to another village. So that's in Luke 9. Amen. Let's go to Luke 10. And so here's what it says. It says this. Somewhere in here. Then one of the experts of the law stood up to test him. And he said this. The experts of the law. These were not attorneys like we have today, but these are men who study the law of God. History says that these men had the first five books of the Bible memorized. Wow. Look at your neighbor say neighbor. If you memorize Deuteronomy, you have way too much time on your hands. But these guys poured over the scriptures and so now here's Jesus. Master shows him props. What must I do to have eternal life to be sure of it? Jesus says, well, what does the law say? What is your studying taught you? One of the things I appreciate it so much about Pastor David. I see I don't see him here yet. Though he might be here. Is the sobriety of his teaching. He calls a spade a spade. Amen. How many of you realize that anybody like what he gives you the word you get the word. Okay. And I love that about a matter of fact. That's one of the things that kind of drew me to him. Okay. So here. What have you learned? You've been studying this word. What have you learned for there's a scripture that says forever learning with never coming to the truth. He says master dash out. Love the Lord your God with all your heart my soul and strength and your neighbor as yourself. I love this. Jesus says quite right. Do that and you will live. He got a hundred on the test. Amen. How many of us move here in school? You got a hundred on the test and then you went for the bonus question. Anybody ever do that? Okay. Here's what I'm saying. If I get a hundred on the test, I'm leaving that bonus question alone. I'm happy. Okay. And sometimes you need to leave the bonus question alone. Well, then wanting to justify himself. Well, then who is my neighbor? And I love this. Jesus gives him this parable. A parable. It's a natural story with a spiritual meaning behind it. And so when I read or I listen to the Bible, it turns into a movie for me. So he tells him this story about a man who left Jerusalem to go down to Jericho. Why down to Jericho? Now why not up to Jericho? Jericho is 800 feet plus below sea level. Jerusalem is 2,500 feet above sea level. Today in the world, Jericho is the lowest city on the face of the earth. It's about an 18 mile journey and the road was very windy and it was called the way of blood. Why? Because bandits used to hang out on that road and they used to rob people who would come along, somebody who would be unsuspecting. So this man leaves Jerusalem by himself to go down to Jericho. We don't know why he went. Maybe something happened. Maybe something was urgent as far as he was concerned. Maybe he had a good reason or maybe he forgot about the dangers of the road. And so he goes out and then unsuspectingly these bandits come on him and they beat him down and they strip off all of his clothes and they leave him there. They take his money and they leave him half dead. And so here he is laying on the side of the road. I feel like I want to act this out a little bit. Okay, so here he is. I'll keep my clothes on though if you don't mind. Okay, so he's beat up. And then Jesus tells about a priest. A priest comes along and sees him there. A mess, a bloody mess. And it says in the priest passed him by. Question, based on what you know about me now, having been a police officer and I was in the military and I'm a minister of the gospel, you were on the road and you saw me, but I didn't see you. And I left that man laying there. How many of you would be disappointed in me based on what I've shared with you so far? Raise your hands. So you're disappointed and rightfully and understandably so. And maybe this particular day I came wearing a clergy collar. You know that that priest he had clothes on that made it unmistakable as to who he was. The man's laying on the side of the road. And he looks up and he sees the God guy. The guy that represents God come only to see that guy leave him there and walk over on the other side. And he keeps on going. How could you do that? Why would you do that? Maybe it was a Sunday. Maybe that priest got an invitation to come and speak here. But if he touches this man because the man is bleeding, he has an issue of blood and he becomes ceremonially unclean. And now he has to step away and seclude himself for six days. But I've got a message for those people at Calree Chapel. And I leave that guy there. Or maybe he doesn't know what to do. And sometimes religious people don't know what to do. Sometimes religious people say, this is what happens when you heart hit it. This is what happens when you don't pay attention to the signs. And if you were serving God, this would have never happened to you. And he leaves him there. We don't know why. And again, I know it's a parable, but it comes alive for me. And I think when God lets us hear his word, he wants it to come alive because Jesus says my words are spirit and they are life. And then he says, and then a Levite came. There are guys who helped in the temple. And he sees him. And then he says, and he crossed completely over on the other side. Maybe it's monkey sea, monkey dew. And he leaves him there. Two God people. In your community, on your job, in your home, many people know that you're the God people. And there are people around you that are bleeding. There are people around you that are busted up. There are people in your family that don't know what to do with themselves. Well, let's just find out. How many of us got some people in our families that need this Jesus that lives inside of you? How many of you got some folks in your family that are bleeding to death? How many of you got some folks in your family that are doing stuff that they think is going to be helpful that's only making it worse? And yet and still, you're there. There's a message of condemnation, but I want you to think about some stuff. And so he gets left there. And then Jesus tells the story about a Samaritan. And he's telling it to a Jew. A Jew who can't stand Samaritans. A Jew who thinks Samaritans don't rate in this world. So Jesus says that if Samaritan came along riding his donkey. And they said the Samaritan looked at him and he had compassion on him. Wow. Because the Samaritan knows what it's like to be kicked to the curb. The Samaritan knows what it's like to be counted out as dead. The Samaritan knows what it's like to have been beaten down. And he had compassion on him. But just having compassion isn't enough. Just having compassion on those people just raised your hands about isn't enough. So he gets off of his donkey. And he kneels down beside this man and he begins to minister to his wounds. And remember the last hands that touched this man beat this man. As the chaplain at Children's Village is a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed children. 300 kids out of New York City. All out of homes of abuse and neglect. And God sent me there to be the chaplain. The biggest lesson I learned in the 14 years that I stayed there. Almost wanting to quit every week. And God has added to it, you ain't going nowhere. The biggest lesson I learned, don't do any more damage. You're not here to make things worse. I place you on this earth to make things better. God has placed you on this earth to make a difference. Look at your neighbor and say what a thought he said, neighbor. And to make a difference, there's got to be a difference. And the thing that makes the difference is the God that lives inside of you. So he gets down and he begins to minister to this man's wounds. The Bible says he applies oil and wine. Symbolic things in the Bible. Oil, symbolic of the Holy Spirit and the anointing that comes with that. Spirit of God lives inside of you. And the Bible says the anointing is in you. God has given you something that can make a difference in this world as it makes a difference in you. Wine, symbolic of grace, symbolic of the blood of Jesus. And who doesn't need the blood of Jesus applied to them? And he applies it to them. But it's still not enough. So I would think maybe he lifts him up to a certain degree, maybe even hoists him over his shoulder and then gets him on top of the donkey. And as he begins to take him to town he looks at his clothes. And what does he have on his clothes now? Blood. Blood. What else? Dirt. Oil. Wine. It's come back to him. And a lot of times it doesn't come back to him because are you or me because we don't use what's been given to us. Because God has given you something to make a difference in this world. Amen? Amen? Okay, so he takes him to town and it's still not enough. He checks him into a hotel or a motel or holiday inn or some place that left the light on for him. And that's still not enough. But he stays with the man all night long. He stays with them all night long. And again, I know it's a parable but let's make it real. What does the man feel? What does the man feel when he comes in and out of conscious and he sees this guy seated at his feet who he doesn't know? He sees this guy get up and put a cool rag on his head or wipe down sores and wounds that he begins to puss. What does he think when he looks down and he sees that man seemingly talking to somebody around the room but there's nobody in the room but whoever he's talking to he's talking to him about him. Oh, God. Lord, touch him. Heal him. Don't allow him to die. Don't allow him to become bitter. Don't allow him to become hateful. Don't allow him as a wounded person to become a wounder of others if that be a word. I wonder what he thinks and it's still not enough. The Bible says he stays with them all night long and then in the morning he gives some silver coins to the innkeeper and then he says to the innkeeper and if that's not enough I'll pay the rest when I come back and so as I look at you I wonder how many people are in your life that are bleeding that woman, that guy on your job the one that's angry all the time the one you walk by her desk and she looks depressed every single day that you see her she does her job she struggles to but you could tell something is the matter you watch somebody outburst continually and you know something is the matter those people in your own home children broken angry, wounded, depressed frustrated and you know something is the matter I watch high school kids label other kids as friends that girl, that guy that's cutting him or herself because there's so much pain in their heart or in their minds they create pain someplace else because they don't know how to deal with this and you call them friend and you walk right by them who's in your life that's dying who's in your life that's been kicked to the curb or do you or I regard them as Samaritans they're just getting what they deserve I say this to you I say it to myself we at all better be thankful we don't get what we deserve because Jesus showed up and he worked a miracle in our lives and he works a miracle in your life so you could be part of the miracle in somebody else's it was a miracle that the Samaritan came along right at the right moment this guy was half dead and somebody had a heart that went out to him Philippians 2.5 let Jesus Christ be your example as to what your attitude should be God said you wouldn't know what kind of attitude that have the one my son had the one when he saw the multitude he said the harvest is right but the laborers if you pray the Lord of the harvests and laborers into the vineyard that you but right before it says that in Jesus seeing that multitude had compassion on them his heart went out to them because we have this high priest who could be touched by our infirmities because just like us he was tempted in every way he was tempted in every way Jesus knows what's like to be kicked to the curb Jesus knows what's like to be abused or abandoned Jesus knows what is like to be lied on and lied to Jesus knows what is like to be rejected Jesus knows what's like to be betrayed Jesus knows what is like to be left dying and bleeding Jesus know he would have his own father turned his head from him and cry out why has he has use that same father his hand's commended spirit. Some of you have been through those things and God showed up and worked a miracle. And now he sends you and I forth to work a miracle. Many times we're told you need to be the Good Samaritan. I don't think you can be the Good Samaritan. You can be like the Good Samaritan because I think the Good Samaritan is Jesus. And maybe you say well why do you say that Bill? Because the Scripture says behold your king comes lowly in riding on an ass. The Bible says and he had compassion on the multitudes. The Bible says he sits high but he looks low. The Bible says his ears are not dull that they cannot hear. Neither are his arms short that they cannot save. The Bible says he lifts us up out of a myery place. He sits us in a heavenly place. The Bible says he is able to bind up the wounds of the brokenhearted. I think about this Jesus. That same Jesus who is a Samaritan because he comes from a blended family too because his mama was human but his daddy was divine. Look at your neighbor. Say neighbor who is your daddy? That makes you a Samaritan too because you come from a blended family. Your humanity and his divinity living inside of us. You roll up on these people who are hurting and broken. And they've been watching you. They watch the joy in you. They watch you go through difficult times. They watch you walk in the spirit and they don't understand. And one day it happens. I noticed there's something different about you. What is it? And you can go I'm glad you asked for the Scriptures says you be prepared. Be prepared to give an answer for the hope that's in you. Christ in you. The hope of glory. I shared with the first congregation this morning coming up that hill last night and looking out across the valley and seeing all those lights. Seeing all those homes and knowing there were people that are dying and you're the soul of the earth. We weren't close enough to see this town but the same thing is in this town and like a salt shaker God is shaking you out in the community so somebody gets a taste of him through you. Amen. I love this story. Oh by the way it's Jesus who pays the price. And it's Jesus that in an hour that you think not he's coming back. He's coming back to a church that is making a difference in the lives of men and women. A church that takes ownership for the people that lives in their community. When I was a kid we used to play the cootie game. God's called you to go out and touch people with the cooties. Jesus did it all the time. Say neighbor he touched people with cooties but he never got their cooties. He healed their cooties. The things that I do he said you you you are going to do greater things than these because I'm going back to be with dad but I'm going to send the comforter my word for the comforter the difference maker who's going to come and live his life through you. He's going to make a difference in you so that he can make a difference through you. And all we have to do is let him. And so I love how the way the story ends Jesus says to him well which of these three guys the Samaritan the priest or the Levite was the meant was the neighbor to the man who was the bandit's victim this guy's still steeped in his prejudice and I would think inwardly Jesus got to be going right well I guess the one that showed compassion and what I love about Jesus he didn't let it hook him he says then you go and do likewise he says to you and I go and do likewise amen